In-vivo information acquiring system and body-insertable apparatus

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-307876, filed Nov. 28, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an in-vivo information acquiring system that acquires in-vivo images and a body-insertable apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, in the field of endoscopes, swallowable capsule endoscopes have been developed. A swallowable capsule endoscope, which has an imaging function and a wireless function, is introduced from the mouse of a patient for observing the body cavity. Until being naturally excreted from the body, the capsule endoscope sequentially captures in-vivo images while moving through the organs including the esophagus, the stomach, and the small intestine depending on peristalsis (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2003-019111 and 2001-231186). While the capsule endoscope moves through the body cavity, image data about the in-vivo images captured by the capsule endoscope is wirelessly transmitted to the outside sequentially, and stored in a memory provided to an external receiving apparatus. A doctor or a nurse displays the image data stored in the memory on a display to diagnose the patient.

An in-vivo information acquiring system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a body-insertable apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus is introduced into a subject, and transmits a wireless signal containing an in-vivo image to the outside of the subject. The in-vivo information acquiring system also includes a receiving apparatus that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the body-insertable apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus also includes an imaging unit that captures in-vivo images; a selecting unit that selects an in-vivo image to be added with unique information among the in-vivo images captured by the imaging unit; and a transmitting unit that additionally arranges an identification signal, which is written according to a signal sequence rule of synchronization signals added to scanning line information about the in-vivo image selected by the selecting unit, in a position corresponding to positions in which the synchronization signals are arranged, adds unique information corresponding to the identification information after the identification information, and transmits the in-vivo image added with the unique information.

A body-insertable apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures in-vivo images; a selecting unit that selects an in-vivo image to be added with unique information among the in-vivo images captured by the imaging unit; and a transmitting unit that additionally arranges an identification signal, which is written according to a signal sequence rule of synchronization signals added to scanning line information about the in-vivo image selected by the selecting unit, in a position corresponding to positions in which the synchronization signals are arranged, adds unique information corresponding to the identification information after the identification information, and transmits the in-vivo image added with the unique information.

The above and other features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an in-vivo information acquiring system according to a first embodiment of the preset invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration of a capsule endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining image signals transmitted from the capsule endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a table of an example of a transmission pattern stored in a storage unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining image signals transmitted from a conventional capsule endoscope;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a configuration of a receiving apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining image signals transmitted from the capsule endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining image signals transmitted from the capsule endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

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